Xiaoyi (on the left) from Tonghua, majoring in Master of Science in Public Relations, tells her experiences at MSUB.

A typical Monday in the fall semester of 2009 starts at 8:10 am with Organizational Behavior instructed by Dr. Larson. He’s definitely one of my favorite instructors of all time due to his great knowledge in business management and sense of humor. I’ve been in all his management classes and enjoyed them all. We always have good discussions and in class activities.

After that, I will go to Dr. Fenderson’s Music Appreciation. His class has been so inspiring to me. There’s always more to discover in music when he describe a musician or a piece of music to us. I was also told the auditorium where the music classes take place is the best facility in the state. Lucky us!

Next thing on my schedule is going to the Office of Office of International Studies. I work there part time as an assistant. I’ve been working on translating documents, assisting at events, creating brochures and so on. The experience is really valuable for building a stronger résumé. All the people in the office are my mentors. They are fun, easy going and always available to me when I need feedback about my work. I’m learning something new every single day.

When the clock on McMullen Hall chimes 5 times, I get off work and my day is over. My host grandma usually comes to take me home and have dinner with everybody.

Zuling from Nanning, majoring in Accounting, tells her experiences at MSUB.

Hi, I'm Zuling from China. I’m majoring in accounting at college of business at MSUB. My first impression to MSUB? The palm reader is so cool in the dorms! I have been enjoying the university life. My favorite class is Writing because I learned a lot from the instructor. It improved my writing skills which will be beneficial in the long run for my education.

I really haven’t felt any culture shock yet. I adjusted myself to the culture really well. People are so kind to me. I have made so many friends both Americans and international students.

On campus there are a lot of events for students to participate in. The international food fair is coming soon. The international studies club just hosted Chinese New Year celebration at the water park. We had traditional Chinese food for dinner together.

I enjoy the city of Billings. The sky is so big and so beautiful. It’s hard to get in bigger cities like where I come from in China.

I talk to my parents 2 or 3 times a week to let them know what’s happening here. I haven’t got home sick yet.

Ze from Jilin University in Changchun, majoring in Finance, tells his experiences at MSUB.

Hi, there. My name is Ze Li and I come from China. I am an exchange student from Jilin University, China. MSUB is a small but pretty university, you can see the big sky, high pine trees, a small creek (actually it is a ditch) flowing though the campus and even bunnies and squirrels when you walk here.

I wanted to practice my English here. I have never been to a foreign country, So I would like to experience the different culture as well. I heard much about US in China. But seeing is believing. I wanted to get involved to American community by myself. I saw Billings from Wiki cyclopedia. It was said it was a very safe and peaceful place to go. I cannot wait to come to the United States.

Americans are energetic. They changed my attitude to life. I am sure there are American dreams planted in my heart, say, you wish, you will. Americans are very, very nice. What’s more, American streets are cleaner than I can imagine. I would always show my gratitude to life and I wish I can use my positive attitude to move my friends around me.

I will never forget my days with my host family here. They are awesome. I caught grasshoppers with my brothers and sister. We spent time laughing, talking and eating. We respected the God in church and we took trips during August. I remembered there was once upon a time I missed home in China. But when my host family invited me to have dinner with them, I totally recovered from homesick. It is because them makes my life here colorful.

I will miss my host family here for sure. And I miss Karla and Janese as well. They are really nice and helpful. I wish they can come to my apartment and we will meet again! I miss the big sky here. The blue sky looks like a sapphire hanging in the heaven. Billings is a GREAT place to live. I have been to big apple, Boston, Philadelphia and D.C. Compared with them, I like Billings most. It is like my home in this planet. I am going back to China soon. I am pretty sure I will miss Billings and people here.

Please cherish your life here every day. Every moment is fabulous. I am glad I made a decision to come here and I will never regret I spent nine months here. It is worth it to be a part time resident here in my life. Thank you, Billings. Thank you, USA.